Tag: Greeen Bay Packers vs. Detroit Lions

Studs and Duds: Lions youngsters at the forefront of Week 9 victory over Packers

The Detroit Lions brought home a victory over the Green Bay Packers, 15-9, on the backs of many of their young playmakers.

It might not have been the prettiest of games against these two bitter rivals, but the Detroit Lions managed to pull out a 15-9 victory against the Green Bay Packers for their second win of the season.

The past few weeks have been low for many people involved with the Lions, so to nail this victory is a major uplift in the aura surrounding the teams. The offense did just enough to keep the game in the Lions favor, whereas the defense is probably the main reason they walked away with a home win. They were able to pick off Aaron Rodgers three times, two of which were in the red zone, to stifle the drives while locking down the receivers and providing solid run defense throughout the contest.

With this game, a few players deserve recognition for their contributions, whereas some could’ve contributed a little more. So here are this week’s Studs and Duds.

Lions close out the season with a thrilling win over the Packers

The Detroit Lions close out the season with a thrilling 37-30 win over the Green Bay Packers

Anyone expecting the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions to not put forth much effort in a game that meant nothing in the standings for either team, they thought wrong. Week 18 turned into a fun, thrilling, back-and-forth contest that had Ford Field rocking.

The Lions prevailed in a spirited 37-30 contest that saw the Packers play their starters for the first half. Dan Campbell’s Lions poured everything into the kitchen sink and threw it at the NFC North Champs.

Detroit scored on one trick play with wide receiver Tom Kennedy throwing a 75-yard touchdown pass to fellow wideout Kalif Raymond. Another Lions TD came courtesy of a flea-flicker off a reverse, with tight end Brock Wright ultimately barrelling into the end zone. They managed to set the NFL record for most fourth-down conversions and attempts in a season along the way, too.

It was a game of big plays from both teams. Every time the Lions pulled ahead, the Packers clawed right back. Aaron Rodgers was brilliant in the first half, making a couple of “only he can do that” throws that should solidify his MVP candidacy. But Lions QB Jared Goff didn’t blink either and made it a fun duel.

The Lions forced three second-half turnovers, the final one an interception by safety Tracy Walker, who had a great game outside of one terrible whiffed tackle. It set up victory formation for the Lions and coach Campbell sent in backup QB Tim Boyle, who served as Green Bay’s No. 2 in 2020 ahead of their first-round rookie, Jordan Love.

It was that kind of afternoon in a raucous Ford Field. The win lifts the Lions to a 3-13-1 finish, but those three wins came in the final six games. That’s the kind of strong, hopeful finish Campbell wanted. It’s the kind of positive energy and sense of optimism heading into the offseason that feels a whole lot better than where the franchise sat after the 2020 campaign.

Behind Enemy Lines: Breaking down Monday Night Football with Packers Wire

Packers Wire editor Zack Kruse graciously answers a few questions about the Lions’ MNF matchup

The Detroit Lions make their lone scheduled primetime appearance on Monday night. The Lions travel to Green Bay to face the 0-1 Packers, who entered Week 2 with the NFL’s worst point differential after getting smoked by the Saints, 38-3, in Week 1.

The unexpected Packers outcome last week draws up some interesting questions for the Cheeseheads. To help figure out some of those answers, I turned to Packers Wire editor Zack Kruse for a few questions about Green Bay and what the Lions can expect to see on Monday Night Football.

Week 1 did not go the way anyone expected. How confident are you that Aaron Rodgers bounces back from his uncharacteristically bad day? Was it rust from not playing, bad chemistry or just an off night?

I think it was just a bad day at the office. The Saints took a big lead early, got the Packers out of their stuff on offense and played really well in coverage. Rodgers had a drama-filled offseason, but he was sharp during training camp and there’s nothing to suggest he’s lost any arm talent. I think the Saints did a terrific job of making him hesitant, and when Rodgers isn’t playing on time from the pocket, he’s far less accurate and effective.

I’d bet the Packers run the ball more effectively and Rodgers’ life as a passer is a little easier on Monday night, but it’s also possible this group is going to need a few weeks to get everything running right.

Lions fans have unkind memories of Joe Barry as the defensive coordinator during the darkest times of the Matt Millen era. How is Barry being received initially in Green Bay?

Barry was an uninspiring hire back in February, largely due to his uninspiring past as a coordinator, and no one is feeling much better about the change after one week. The Packers got run over on defense in the season opener, but it’s fair to wonder how much was on the players and how much was on the coordinator.

It’s tough to run a defense in the NFL when the players are consistently losing the line of scrimmage and failing to create negative plays. Barry and the Packers want to take away big plays and make offenses be perfect over long drives to score. The Saints had two 15-play scoring drives in the first half. It could be death by a thousand paper cuts unless the Packers can create more disruption on defense.

With David Bakhtiari out in Week 1, Elgton Jenkins looked impressive at LT. The Lions have a similar situation with Taylor Decker out and Penei Sewell impressing in his spot. How does this play out for the Packers?

Elgton Jenkins will keep playing left tackle for at least the next five games or until David Bakhtiari returns. It’ll be interesting to see how the Packers configure the offensive line once Bakhtiari is back. Does Jenkins go back to left guard, where he was a Pro Bowler last year? Or does he slide to right tackle, where the Packers could maximize his value as one of the NFL’s top offensive linemen?

There’s no chance Jenkins stays at left tackle, but it must be nice to have two great options.

What do you see as the biggest matchup advantage for the Packers in the game?

Good question. It has to be at quarterback. Do the Lions have the pass rush or the coverage talent to keep Rodgers from moving the ball up and down the field? I will say, the Aaron Glenn factor does fascinate me. He was an assistant under Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen for a long time.

The Lions’ first-year coordinator might have a trick or two up his sleeve for this Packers offense. But I do think Rodgers and the Packers wide receivers should have a big advantage over the Lions secondary in this contest, especially after Detroit lost Jeff Okudah.

Who are a couple of Packers players who deserve more recognition outside of Green Bay?

You already highlighted Elgton Jenkins, who was excellent at left tackle in Week 1 and is probably the most versatile offensive lineman in the NFL. What he’s done at guard, center and tackle during his first three NFL seasons is incredible. Outside of Jenkins, I’d say safety Adrian Amos, who is such a consistent player, and edge rusher Rashan Gary, the former Michigan star. The Packers need Amos to keep T.J. Hockenson covered this week, and Gary is an important player now that Za’Darius Smith is going on IR.

Who wins and why?

The Packers win, but I won’t be surprised if this is an ugly football game that comes down to the last few possessions. The Packers are still working through some things on offense, and the defense is a huge question mark. The Lions would need to dominate the line of scrimmage and get a big night from Jared Goff to win. It’s possible but certainly not likely. I’m expecting the Packers to bounce back after the disaster in Week 1. Remember: Matt LaFleur is 6-0 after regular season losses as Packers coach.

Marvin Jones: ‘I knew I had it’ on controversial incompletion

Jones was mic’d up and claims some officials told him it was a catch

Marvin Jones extended as high as he could to snag Matthew Stafford’s deep throw down the left sideline in the fourth quarter of the Detroit Lions’ Week 14 loss to the Green Bay Packers. His hands snatched the ball cleanly from the air.

There is also pretty darn clear photographic and video evidence that Jones had both feet on the Ford Field turf inbounds as that happened. It only lasted for a brief moment before Jones crashed out of bounds, the ball still firmly in his secured possession.

The officials on the field didn’t see it, however. The booth review, ordered by a smart challenge from Lions interim head coach Darrell Bevell, also failed to see it, despite the FOX broadcast crew and rules analyst Dean Blandino all insisting the call would be overturned.

As for Jones, he knew he made a great catch. And he knows a couple of the officials thought so, too.

“Well, I knew I had it,” Jones said via Zoom after the game. “Once I caught the ball, obviously when I caught the ball my feet were down, so when I got up and he said it was incomplete, yeah, it threw me for a loop. Especially when I saw it on the big screen, I mean, both of my feet were down when the ball was in my hand.

You know, I don’t know if I can say too much without getting in trouble or something like that, but I definitely think it was a catch. I was actually mic’d up and there were a couple of refs that thought it was a catch, too, so I’ll just leave it at that.”

Bevell also thought it was a catch.

“Yeah, I saw just that. I thought Marvin (Jones Jr.) made a really good attempt at the ball, I saw the ball in his hands,” Bevell said in his own postgame Zoom. “It was a play worth challenging. It gave us an opportunity to be down there at the one or the two (yard line) or in the end zone, so a big play there.”

The Lions did score on the drive, but it took several more plays and resulted in quarterback Matthew Stafford suffering an injury in the process.

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Lions pivotal play of the game: Ugly errors before and after the half bury the Lions

The Detroit Lions suffered an embarrassing 42-21 loss against the Packers after making ugly errors they could not recover from.

The Detroit Lions could not overcome a number of costly mistakes made against the Green Bay Packers in Week 2, essentially cascading to point of no return.

After lowing yet another double-digit lead — an NFL record fourth in a row — the Lions would eventually lose 42-21, leaving many scratching their heads and searching for answers.

The Lions started off hot, scoring touchdowns on each of their two opening drives and holding the Packers to only three points, but things went downhill real quick.

Lets set the scene.

After forcing a Packers punt, the Lions are looking to end the first half with the lead. The drive opens with a D’Andre Swift run, then Matthew Stafford takes a sack that almost landed the Packers two points, but instead, it is a ten-yard sack, and the Lions end up on their own one-yard line.

The Packers use their last timeout to salvage any time they can get it to possibly land points to end the half. To keep the clock running, the Lions hand the ball to Adrian Peterson, but Oday Aboushi gets called for holding and, in turn, stops the clock leaving the Packers with a minute to drive down the field.

Green Bay opens their drive with an out of bounds throw, but Will Harris landed an unnecessary roughness call giving the Packers a free 15 yards. On the ensuing play, Harris was the culprit of another unnecessary roughness call this time horse-collaring Davante Adams after an eight-yard catch and stopping the clock on top of another free 15 yards for the Packers. A couple plays later and the Packers punch in it for six, giving them the lead.

A failed 57-field goal attempt from Matt Prater closes out the half, with the Packers in the lead — after the Lions had led the entire first half.

The Packers have all of the momentum opening the second half and capitalize with an Aaron Jones career-best 75 yard touchdown run.

To add further salt into the wound, not log after, Jamal Agnew gets called for unnecessary roughness penalty after calling for a fair catch and then blocking a Packers’ gunner, pushing the Lions to their five-yard line — this leads to a Stafford pick-six.

The number of mistakes the Lions committed at the end of the first half and to open up the second half was inexcusable.

The Lions will need a long look in the mirror after this loss and figure out where to go from here as they are heading into the desert for a Week 3 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals.